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Located in Fort del Pilar after Loakan Road, the Philippine Military Academy serves as the training ground for future officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It was then known as “Officers’ School of the Philippine Constabulary when it was still located in Intramuros, Manila.

Tracing The Roots of the Academy

On October 25, 1898, “Academia Militar” was established in Malolos, Bulacan by General Emilio Aguinaldo. Majority of the teachers were former members of the Spanish Guardia Civil handpicked by the government to train Filipino soldiers.

During the establishment of the Commonwealth government, the Philippine Military Academy took over from the Philippine Constabulary Academy through the enactment of the National Defense Act on December 21, 1936. It was authorized to offer and grant Bachelor of Science degrees to its graduates after completing their four year courses.

The Curriculum

The curriculum and military training offered by the Philippine Military Academy was influenced by the US Military Academy. For several years, the curriculum of the Philippine Military Academy concentrated on mathematics, sciences, and engineering, as a reflection of the reputation of West Point as the training ground of civil and railroad engineers who established the American West.

At first, theAcademy offered courses under the tri-service curriculum: Management, Naval Systems Engineering, and Aeronautical Maintenance Engineering for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, respectively. PMA Classes of 1995 and 1996 were conferred with these degrees. The reason for offering majors to cadets was for advanced studies and to educate the cadets based on their natural inclinations.

The curriculum of the Philippine Military Academy composed of three components: Core Curriculum, which offered general education to allow the cadets to receive basic knowledge of the arts and sciences; Major Area Elective so the students can concentrate on areas where they have special inclinations or knowledge; and a Professional Courses Program, which offers basic military training required to be junior officers in their chosen major service. The Major Area Elective offers three areas of concentration namely Management, Information Systems, and General Engineering.

In order to be admitted to the Philippine Military Academy, candidates must be at least 17 years old. They should be natural born Filipinos, at least 5’4″ in height for males and 5’2″ for females. They should pass the written and psycholometric exam, with a GPA of at least 80{512b763ef340c1c7e529c41476c7e03bc66d8daea696e1162822661d30dde056} in their high school years. Foreign students seeking admission in the PMA should satisfy the same admission requirements.

Students of the Philippine Military Academy are granted full scholarship benefits. The government allocates P2.3 million pesos for every cadet by the time they graduate. Aside from that, they receive free tuition fees, medical and dental care, school supplies, complete access to modern educational and training facilities, board and lodging. Likewise, they are given monthly stipends.